Weight Loss Pills: Are They Safe?

In terms of diet pills, before asking about their effectiveness, it’s better to ask: are they safe? Let’s face it - a diet pill manufacturer is going to brag about how many pounds you’ll lose by taking their product, not how many side effects you’ll have. As a result, most customers are not given enough information about the safety of diet products and unfortunately might put their health at risk.

 

Phenylpropanolamine and Caffeine

 

Most over-the-counter diet pills contain a combination of medications that have various benefits and harms. Usually they include phenylpropanolamine and caffeine, which suppress appetite. Phenylpropanolamine stimulates the central nervous system and has many effects on the body, in that it controls appetite. This is why it’s a key ingredient in most diet pills. Caffeine acts in a similar way and also causes a person to be alert and awake.

 

There is proof that diet pills can effectively reduce a person’s weight, but many health experts question the relevance of this. Recently, there have been findings that show phenylpropanolamine to cause serious side effects such as high blood pressure, nausea, restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, irritability and even hallucinations. Similarly, caffeine can affect a person’s blood circulation and its effects on blood pressure are unpredictable. Obese individuals are especially in danger of hypertension - which is ironic, as the heavier a person is, the more likely he or she will be to take a diet pill.

 

Laxatives and Diuretics

 

Some diet pills on the market contain laxatives and diuretics. These merely force a person’s body to eliminate vital body fluids. Specifically, a laxative stimulates a dieter’s large bowel to empty, but only after food and calories have been absorbed via the small intestines. So fluids are lost in the process and thus the body reacts by retaining water and consequentially, bloating occurs. This simply causes a person to feel they need to lose more weight. Basically, laxatives not only don’t work, but are counterproductive.

 

Prolonged use of laxatives also cause cramps, bloating, bulimia, anorexia, severe abdominal pain, dehydration, gas, nausea, vomiting, electrolyte disturbances, and chronic constipation and when laxative use finally ceases, a person can experience withdrawal symptoms. Laxatives should only be used to correct irregular bowel movement; otherwise they simply cause problems.

 

Likewise, diuretics are a very dangerous component of diet pills, since they cause heart arrhythmias and dizziness. They also lead to dehydration and ultimately, kidney and organ damage due to the subsequent imbalance of electrolytes within the body. In order to protect itself from further loss of water, the body will again, retain more water and cause an individual to feel even fatter than before.

 

Conclusion

 

So far, no pills or artificial diet supplements can adequately replace regular exercise and a nutritious diet. If you want to lose weight, your aim should be for a healthy body, not a damaged one. Don’t fall prey to misleading diet commercials and bear in mind that there is no such thing as a “quick fix” to weight loss.

Weight Loss Pills - Magic or Risk

 

Persons with Overweight, nowadays, have become a menace for their family as well as for the society at large. 

 

These overweight persons are attacked by many diseases and at least cannot lead a normal healthy and happy life. 

 

Also overweight causes Obesity to a person. A person with Obesity does not look nice and smart to attract opposite sex.

 

Now, realizing the risk, persons with overweight are in the lookout for means of Weight Loss. 

 

Along with many other ways for weight loss, like taking controlled healthy diet, regular exercise etc., Diet Pills have come out in the market for weight Loss that, in some cases, yield good and satisfactory results. 

 

There are a number of Diet Pills available in the market, particularly in on line stores. Among them are drugs like Phentermine, Xenical, and Solidax ADX etc. Which are prominent in the market. There are many others fighting in the market for customers. 

 

However, effectiveness of these diet pills is uncertain. Studies have been conducted by many researchers regarding this. But results of them are not easily available. 

 

Scientists of Weight Loss Institute have conducted thorough research about this and based upon their findings we highlight a few of them below.

 

Diet Pills like Phentermine, although a prescription Drug, have reports of serious side effects. However, the Drug is effective in Weight Management. But problem is that, many on line stores market poor quality Phentermine and their effectiveness are doubtful, although consumers may not know it. So People should be sure to take the appropriate drugs with consultation of an experienced Physician.

 

Diet Pills like Xenical also have serious side effects. However, the Drug is especially effective in Weight Management for patients with high blood pressure or diabetes etc. Doctors should be consulted before taking this Diet Pills.

 

There are more Diet Pills in the market like Kava-Herbal, Brontril, Meridia etc. each having its effectiveness with side effects also. Our space is limited to discuss about all of them. 

 

Thus, if you are overweight, Diet Pills may create magic to you but if not checked properly, you may be at risk also. 

 

We would suggest that Diet Pills might be one of the solutions to Weight Loss - supplemented by a comprehensive Weight Management Program, provided, it was taken with the supervision of an experienced Physician, expert in this field. Also availability of good quality of Drugs should be ensured for best results. Still risks are there for side effects, which should be taken care of by the Physician prescribing them.

Weight Loss Pills Explained

Do obesity drugs work? Can supplements really control our weight? What is the real problem about using diet pills? Weight loss expert Anne Collins outlines the issues and provides some answers.

 

Within the pharmaceutical industry, obesity is now seen as the "trillion dollar disease". That's the estimated amount of profit a successful weight loss drug can expect to make. But are companies getting close to delivering a diet pill that really works - meaning, a pill that is both safe and effective at solving obesity? The answer, it seems, is No.

 

Pills To Reduce Obesity

 

It's true that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a tiny number of weight loss pills like Xenical and Meridia for long term use in the treatment of obesity (BMI > 30). But evidence accumulated in clinical trials suggests that the effectiveness of these obesity drugs is less than impressive. Total annual weight reduction tends to be in the range 8-20 pounds. Furthermore, the highest weight loss tends to be achieved by patients who participate in supervised trials involving a combination of drug treatment, diet, exercise and counseling. Which makes it difficult to ascertain the precise effect of the medication itself. By comparison, less well supervised obesity drug trials tend to have a higher drop-out rate and reduced weight loss. And the longer the trial, the lower the compliance and the lower the weight loss. In short, while helpful to some patients, weight loss drugs are not yet the answer to obesity, especially when factors like cost are taken into account.

 

Should we be surprised? Not really. After all, even bariatric surgery is no guarantee of long term weight loss unless patients comply with the necessary post-operative dietary regimen. Indeed, some obesity experts claim that medical interventions like drugs and surgery are almost by definition doomed to failure, for the simple reason that they take control and responsibility away from patients. According to this view, it is only when patients accept full responsibility for their eating habits and lifestyle, that they have a real chance of achieving a normal weight in the long term.

 

Unfortunately, this view satisfies no one! It doesn't satisfy the pharmaceutical companies, who need to make money. It doesn't satisfy doctors, who need to give hope to their overweight patients, and it doesn't satisfy consumers who want instant weight loss without having to change their eating habits. In short, there is an overwhelming demand for an obesity pill, but a viable product has yet to emerge.

 

Pills For Cosmetic Weight Loss

 

Demand for diet pills is not limited to those suffering from clinical obesity. Millions of consumers with less than 40 pounds to lose take non-prescription pills to burn off body fat or increase their rate of weight loss. According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan, almost 25 percent of girl students turn to anorectic diet pills when they're trying to lose weight, including laxatives and diuretics.

 

These non-prescription pills are more difficult to evaluate, as they are not subject to the same high level of regulation as prescription-only drugs. Thus not all ingredients need to be tested, dosages and other labeling requirements are less stringent, and reporting of "adverse events" or health problems is not mandatory. Furthermore, few long term clinical trials are conducted on non-prescription pills, so hard evidence as to their safety and efficacy is scarce. Meantime, the huge profits to be made from these weight loss products means they can be supported by expensive advertising campaigns to increase consumer acceptance, making regulation and control even more of an uphill struggle. Indeed, the FDA has found it almost impossible to ban over-the-counter diet pills, even after reports of illness and injury.

 

Herbal Diet Pills For "Healthy Eating"

 

The past five years has seen a huge rise in sales of herbal diet pills, which are marketed as a form of "healthy eating". These herbal supplements typically include a variable combination of vitamins and other active ingredients which supposedly offer a healthier type of weight loss. Such claims are not generally supported by clinical evidence, and some suppliers are under investigation by both the FDA and FTC. Nevertheless, rising demand for these herbal weight loss pills is yet another confirmation of our huge appetite for what is essentially a non-dietary approach to weight control.

 

How Do Weight Loss Pills Work?

 

In simple terms, weight loss pills are designed either to alter body chemistry in order to reduce appetite, or to interfere with digestion in order to reduce calorie absorption. Appetite suppressants include amphetamine-like stimulants such as ephedra, or pills to increase serotonin or norepinephrine levels in the brain. Pills that interfere with the digestive system include fat-blockers (lipase inhibitors) like Xenical and chitosan, carb-blockers, and very high fiber bulking agents such as glucomannan.

 

Are Weight Loss Pills Safe?

 

Obesity drugs are generally safe when used correctly and under medical supervision. The trouble starts when users do not follow the manufacturer's instructions. Adverse health events for these pharmaceuticals include heart or blood pressure problems and strokes, as well a range of less serious complaints. The same applies to non-prescription diet pills, whose adverse health effects include high blood pressure, heart palpitations, irregular heartbeats, dizziness, blurred vision, headaches, insomnia, intestinal blockages, anxiety and depression. In extreme cases, both prescription-only and non-prescription pills can cause life-threatening conditions. Even so, safety remains a relative concept. Cigarettes, alcohol, cars and stress kill millions of people every year. By comparison with these things, diet pills cause far fewer "casualties", and if you consult your doctor before taking them, you can reduce the health risk to a minimum.

 

The Real Problem With Weight Loss Pills

 

The biggest problem about relying on drugs and supplements to lose weight is not health, it's reliability. In my 20-odd years of dealing with overweight individuals and their families, I have yet to hear of anyone who achieved and maintained any significant weight loss by using pills. But I have met a huge number of people whose weight and emotional state of mind had been significantly worsened through the use of pills. They were afraid of food, they had absolutely no confidence in their ability to make sensible food choices, and tended to rely on purging, laxatives and similar products to control their eating habits. One client - a former annual weight loss winner with one of the major dieting companies - had been fed deliberately with pills in order to achieve the weight reduction that the organization required. When she came to me for help, she had regained 70 pounds of her original weight loss. In short, relying on pills for weight control can mess up your body and your mind.

 

The Small Print Says It All

 

Advertisements and infomercials for diet pills are dominated by headlines like: "Effortless Weight Loss" or "Lose Weight While You Sleep!" and so on. But the small print often tells a different story - either that users should follow a calorie-controlled diet, or only eat at certain times of the day, or stop eating certain high-calorie foods, or some combination of all three. There may also be a reference to the need for exercise. In other words, if you want the truth about a weight loss pill, check the small print. Because, as all obesity experts and dietitians will tell you, no long term reduction in weight is possible without controlling energy intake and expenditure.

 

If You Must Take Pills

 

Whether you are a diet pill addict, or just an occasional user, here are two ways to make weight loss easier. Look for a healthy, gimmick-free diet, and follow it as carefully as you can. In the process, focus on healthy eating rather than calorie reduction. Aiming to eat healthily is much more positive than calorie control. Secondly, join an online dieting forum and get encouragement and advice from other people. Because all surveys show that losing weight is a lot easier when you have others to lean on. My own forum for instance includes a large number of former diet pill users who are now enjoying their food and losing significant amounts of weight in the process. Which proves that when it comes to weight control, people power is much more effective than popping pills.

Weight Loss Or Fat Loss - Important Differences To Lose Weight And Fat Healthily

Some people used the term “weight loss” while others call it “fat loss” whilst many use the terms weight loss and fat loss interchangeably. Do they mean the same thing? To many people, they do mean the same thing. But the terms may be entirely different in meaning. You must know the difference if you want to lose weight or lose fat effectively and healthily. 

 

When you step onto your bathroom scale every morning, what you will be reading from the scale is weight loss and not fat loss. Bath room scales are never accurate in determining fat loss. 

 

Why? Because it measures your overall weight and not your body fat per se. If you weigh yourself in the morning before breakfast after your bowel movement, you will probably get your lowest reading of the day because your body is dehydrated through hours of non-fluid replenishment when you were sleeping and after emptying your bowels, more water and wastes are flushed away so much so that you are you are lighter. After a night of sleep and not eating anything, your carbohydrate store is running low and therefore you are even lighter without the stored carbohydrate known as glycogen. What happened then? You just loss weight not loss fat! Your body fat is still there while the weight of other substances such as glycogen, wastes, water etc are depleted. 

 

Now go weigh yourself again after dinner when you are fully replenished through meals and consumption of water and it may surprise you that you may probably weigh 2kg or more heavier and that is at least 4.4 pounds! You just gained weight and may even gained fat! Now you can see that it is such a misnomer when people think weight loss and fat loss are the same thing.

 

Why must you know the difference? Because for most of us, especially those who are on the fat side want to lose fat and not necessarily want to lose weight. Getting the drift? 

 

Now for the more important part. Mere weight loss may cause you to lose muscle and in turn, make you gain body fat later. Yes, it is ironical. That is because the more muscle mass you have, the more you burn fat efficiently because muscle is an active tissue and it requires calories to function. Body fat just sit there doing nothing and thus do not burn calories on its own. So the less muscle mass you have, the less calories your body will burn. The fewer calories your body burn, the more calories ended up being stored as body fat! Therefore it is important to lose fat but not merely lose weight which may include the loss of muscle tissues. 

 

How is it that a person may lose muscle on a weight loss program? Well for starters, we commonly hear about people going on this diet and that diet. Most diets demand a severe restriction of food or calorie intake. Your body will then signal to your mind that you are in a starvation mode and the body is designed to store fat for the impending famine and will use up your muscle for energy in your daily activities.

 

Some diets advocate a severe cut in carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is your body's first source of energy. When your body is depleted of carbohydrate, it turns to your protein (muscles) and body fat indiscriminately for energy. Now to make matters worse, because of the restricted carbohydrate consumed, there will be fewer carbohydrate calories to be used as energy calories and that again will signal the onset of starvation mode again. The vicious cycle of your body cannibalizing its own muscle is set in motion again. The same applies to people on slimming pills or salon fat loss programs.

 

So some people say ok, Chris, I see your point, so I will just do plenty of cardio exercises to lose weight. Another grave mistake. Have you ever wondered why marathon runners, those who run many kilometres often and are doing cardio exercises almost every day are so skinny with no muscle tone? Because your body is a wonderful machine. It is designed to adapt. When you run or skip or swim long enough, it will say, look, I better get lighter so that I can take the stress better and improve the endurance. Guess what? Your muscles are heavier than fats and what will your body shed more when it wants to get lighter? Muscle or fat? Your body will shed both but more muscles than fats.

 

Anyway, why would you want to lose weight only to become a smaller you with the same body shape without any muscle tone? Why would you want to be on a weight loss program that eats your muscles and lower your fat burning rate so much so that when you are off the program, the fats come piling back on again?

 

Therefore, while you are on a lose weight program, you must also be on a build muscle program. That will mean a combination of correct dietary habit, cardio exercises and weightlifting exercises to maintain muscle preservation and a fat loss result.

 

From now on tell people you are on a fat loss program and not a weight loss program. That you are on a correct eating habit instead of just simply dieting.

 

With the distinction clearly in mind, you will then know how to lose fat effectively, preserve and grow your muscles and at the same time losing weight on your bathroom scale. That would be an ideal way to achieve your weight loss objective because you will lose body fat instead of muscle and mere body wastes.

Weight Loss Newbies: The Beginner's Guide to Losing Weight

Need to lose weight? Get the bare-bone truth on what it REALLY takes to do it right and never, ever have to do it again...

 

So you've decided that you're going to do it.

 

You're sick and tired of being sick and tired and are once and for all hell bent on losing weight.

 

Well, let me be the first to warn you of a very grim fact:

 

Millions have tried before you and most of them have failed miserably at reaching their weight loss and diet goals.

 

Therefore, I've put together a little beginner's guide to help make sure that you are one of the few that actually ends up being successful at this.

 

Get an accurate picture of where you are now.

 

Many people just go and hop on a diet or weight loss program without knowing exactly where they are from the start. This is dangerous because along the way there WILL be numerous times where you will be tempted to simply quit altogether. Without knowing where you started, you won't be able to accurately gauge your progress. Not being able to see that progress put you at an extremely high risk of quitting down the road when the going gets tough.

 

Set specific, realistic goals for your weight loss, and WRITE THEM DOWN.

 

This is one of the most ill-executed steps in the entire process of losing weight. Most people will passively quote some random amount of weight that they "hope" to lose.

 

"I need to lose 30 lbs."

"I'm trying to get back down to a size X"

"If I can just fit back into Y, I'll be fine"

 

That is the exact WRONG way to go about your weight loss. All above the above are hopes. Wishes. Desires. And none does a thinner body make.

 

What you need are detailed, definite goals that are written and time bound (e.g. "over the next 3 months") to hold yourself accountable to doing what you said you were going to do by the time you said you were going to do it.

 

Adopt a step-by-step course of action to get you there.

 

In order for this to work there needs to be a concrete method to your weight loss madness. To this end, you need to choose a weight loss plan that will lead you step-by-step through what to eat (and what not to eat), how and when to exercise, and every other imaginable aspect of losing weight. The reason for this is that goals have a much better chance of becoming reality when they are being attained as a result of a plan or system of action.

 

Get started IMMEDIATELY.

 

Most flunkies know how to study. Most broke people know how wealth is generated. Most overweight people how to lose weight. However, what separates all of these very knowledgeable, yet unsuccessful people from the results they desire is action. Don’t let that be your fate.

 

Once you have written specific goals and chosen a plan of action, don't delay in getting right on track to weight loss. The cheesecake, burgers, chocolate, and pastries aren't going anywhere. You can snack on them moderately once you've achieved your goals. Don't get caught into the trap of holding off having Your Best Body any longer. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll be done.

 

Be Prepared for the emotional roller coaster.

 

Nearly everyone who has tried to lose weight has had some level of success at one time or another. For those who have not been able to sustain desirable results, being knocked out by the emotional roller coaster is most likely to blame.

 

Look, losing weight is very simple, but not easy. If it were, there wouldn't be so many people trying to get it right. The #1 skill that you will need to develop in order to make it through is surviving the roller coaster of emotions. One day you'll feel as if you're getting great results. A week later, you may actually feel that you are moving backwards. Either way, just know that as long as you consistently follow the weight loss principles, you will ALWAYS move forward, even if it does not feel like it.

 

Don't stop until your goal is reached, no matter WHAT.

 

So many times people come to a screeching halt in their efforts to lose weight and diet because they get discouraged a portion of the way through OR after they reach a certain benchmark they allow themselves to be satisfied and quit the program even though their goal has not been reached.

 

DON'T DO IT.

 

There was a specific reason that you set your initial goal. Do not sell yourself short by settling for anything less. Stick it out until the very end, and your sense of accomplishment will be irreplaceable.

 

Once you've reached your goal, never, EVER let yourself blow up again.

 

This is the last and final barrier to ultimate success in your efforts to lose weight.

 

Make sure not to allow yourself to relapse while you are in maintenance mode. I recommend sticking to the same general principles that helped you lose the weight and then occasionally indulging in some of the foods that you love. This balance is the best way to keep the body that you've worked for and not feel over-restricted.

 

Make this the first and last time that you ever have to go through a weight loss program. Remember that if you can just get it right one good time, you can literally maintain it forever with little effort.

 

To Your Best Body,

 

Lawrence Cole

Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach

See this Weight Loss Article at YourBestBodyNOW.com

Weight Loss Myths

Every regime has its supply of useless folk lore and half-truths that get passed on down the line from person to person. But I'd put weight loss up against any of them for what has to be the most time wasting and even the most dangerous myths out there. 

 

There is a ton of free advice seen in the media these days and if it is taken seriously, can really set you back on your weight loss endeavours. This can lead to the kind of frustration that makes people think they are "destined to remain fat for life”. 

 

This is not true, Have a look at the Weight loss myths below and draw your own conclusions.

 

Exercise on an empty stomach and burn more fat.

 

Effective weight loss is the total amount of calories burned during the day, not how or why they were burned. 

 

It doesn't matter if it is night or morning, so exercise early in the day has no advantage to exercise later in the day. 

 

Studies show that increased metabolism induced by anaerobic exercise is actually less after a large meal. Which probably means that more energy is being used for digestion than what is being used to repair muscle.

 

More exercise is better.

 

Every exercise session is beneficial to each individual, however more is not always better. It depends on what is trying to be achieved. There is a level and frequency 

required to achieve results. 

 

After this level is reached, additional exercise can have the opposite effect, not allowing the body to recuperate and adapt to the stress induced by the exercise, which can be detrimental to your results.

 

After stopping exercise muscle will turn to fat.

 

This is not possible. Muscle and fat are two different types of tissues in the body and you cannot convert one into the other. This is like trying to turn water into milk. 

 

If you stop training, the muscles will shrink in size - and do not disappear. The more calories taken in that are not burned off will be deposited as fat.

 

If you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard enough.

 

Sweating is the body's way of cooling itself down. Many factors contribute to body temperature, including room temperature, types of exercise done, body-fat levels, 

clothing, and exercise intensity. The intensity for exercise can't be judged by the amount you sweat. 

 

A well-trained person will often sweat a lot because their body can more efficiently regulate heat.

 

Taking sugar before exercise to raise energy levels.

 

Ingestion of sugar will lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar levels. This rapid rise stimulates a release of insulin, which quickly removes the excess sugar from 

the blood system, often causing your blood sugar levels to drop, sometimes below the level that it started at, leading to faster exhaustion.

 

Gaining weight is just a part of getting older.

 

Getting older is not an excuse for gaining weight! As we age and begin a more sedentary lifestyle we start to lose muscle mass. 

 

The efficiency of your metabolism is directly linked to how much muscle you have on your body. The most efficient way of maintaining your body's muscle mass and keeping your metabolism from dropping, is by doing a high intensity strength training workout once a week.

 

X is the best form of exercise.

 

Claims like this are usually based on marketing strategy and personal bias. Even when claims are based on factual information, they have little practical value to the 

average exerciser. The most important thing is to choose an activity that you like, and perform it properly and consistently.

 

If it’s fat free I can have as much as I want.

 

Unfortunately fat free doesn't mean calorie free. The word fat free is misleading because if you overeat on anything, even fat free foods and you don't burn off those calories, your body will store the excess as fat.

 

Don't drink water when you exercise or you will get cramps.

 

By drinking litres of icy cold water in one go while exercising you will probably suffer from cramps. This is why it is important to drink water continuously before, during and after exercising to replace the fluid you've lost and avoid any discomfort.

 

By not having a personal trainer I won’t make gains.

 

Hiring a personal trainer is one way you can use to reach your goals, but you are an adult capable of making decisions and setting your own goals once you have the knowledge of how to go about it. 

 

Following a good exercise program and eating plan does not require someone standing over you and telling you how to do it. 

 

By exercising my abs I will lose my pot belly.

 

Exercising your abdominals will help to tone and firm the abdominal region, but it will not reduce fat deposits that are responsible for a pot belly. 

 

Fat reduction comes from burning more calories than you take in. Fat is reduced uniformly throughout the body there is no such thing as spot reduction.

Weight Loss Motivation: Mastering the Motivation to Stay Fit

Can't Stay Motivated to Lose Weight? Learn to keep your weight loss efforts going strong, even when you're totally bummed out...

 

Have you ever just felt like you were doing everything you were supposed to in order to lose weight and STILL weren't dropping the pounds?

 

During her journey to lose 40lbs in 16 weeks, my good friend Kim faced some pretty serious challenges with regards to her level of motivation.

 

Another friend of mine, Antonio Goodwin, who lost 4 inches from his waistline in 9 weeks with my program, faced the same frustration.

 

The problem was that at several times during their weight loss, they both felt as if they were not losing much weight and were not seeing results.

 

Now, a look at either of their before-and-after photos on my web sites shows that each of them made quite a substantial improvement in their bodies.

 

So what would make someone who's losing weight each week feel as if they were not?

 

I'll tell you exactly what. Its referred to as the emotional roller coaster.

 

This is how it usually goes:

 

You start a new diet or weight loss program. You're all excited to be doing something great for your health and the way you look, and you're sticking

to the program, step by step.

 

Consistent action pays off and after a short while you start getting compliments about the pounds you're losing week by week.

 

Then all of a sudden, it all seems to stop. You can no longer see the physical changes in your body, and maybe you even have a moment of weakness and cheat a bit on your diet plan. So now you're frustrated and mildly depressed. You feel as if true weight loss may NEVER happen for you, no matter what you do.

 

TIME OUT.

 

The trick here is to not get stuck in your own frustration.

 

Now this is a tough one, because everyone and I do mean EVERYONE goes through this stage. Whenever I need to trim down for a photo shoot, I go through it as well.

 

One of the things that you must understand about the body is that for as long as you are doing the right things on a consistent basis it WILL respond with results.

 

The Jedi Mind Trick is that oftentimes the progress is subtle, or may be primarily taking place in an area that you cannot see as well.

 

For instance, my friend Kim loses weight in her back the fastest. Her frustration came because she did not see the fat loss on her stomach the way she would have liked to. Little did she know that from behind she looked like a completely different person.

 

Listen, the emotional roller coaster is an inevitable aspect of any worthy undertaking that we take on in life. Remember getting through college? Or maybe waiting for puberty to set in? How about paying off your debts? The mental battle while attempting to diet and/or achieve weight loss is no different.

 

So make a conscious decision to stick to your guns. Let it play out. Victory lies in having the strength to make it through the rough spots without cracking under the pressure and losing all that you've worked for. If you can just master getting past the point of frustration, before you know it you'll be seeing results again and getting more compliments.

 

Lawrence Cole

Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach

See this Weight Loss Article at YourBestBodyNOW.com

Weight Loss Motivation - How To Find It And Keep It!

Everyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that the really big issue is motivation - where do we find it, how do we keep it going, and what do we do when it slips! 

 

To be successful at losing weight you must find your own motivation. More importantly, you must keep motivated, even when times get tough! Read through the tips and tricks and other resources below to help you find and maintain your motivation. 

 

Set your goals and work out a realistic timescale for achieving them. Commit to them 100%. 

 

Put it in writing! Scribble down in as much detail as possible why you need to lose weight, how much you are going to lose, when and how. The more you commit to paper the better. Carry a notebook around with you and use it to record thoughts and ideas, recipes, quotes - whatever will inspire you and keep you going. 

 

Tell a friend or member of the family and ask them to help you stick with your plan. 

 

Remember that you are losing weight and improving your health "one day at a time". You can stick at anything for one day! 

 

Don't dwell on the junk that you are taking out of your diet. Instead, celebrate the healthy foods that you are putting in. 

 

Make bullet points of your main motivational issues and write them on a stack of cards. Display the cards where you will see them regularly - on your bathroom mirror, in your purse, in your car. 

 

Create a "mantra" to repeat to yourself when times get hard. For example, "Every day I am improving my health, my looks and my well-being. I am getting stronger in every way." 

 

Consider asking for sponsorship from friends and family for a good cause. Perhaps you can raise money for starving children while you get your own eating under control? 

 

Start a file or scrapbook of articles, recipes and any other interesting titbits you read. 

 

Start another file of fashion and wardrobe ideas. Plan what you will need to buy when you shrink a size or two! 

 

Buy a piggybank and fill it up with a particular sum for every pound you lose. You can use it towards your new outfits! 

 

Find someone to share the experience with, and laugh your way through the tough times. 

 

Learn from other successful slimmers. Read other people's stories, join a club, find a chat room, or start your own email group. 

 

Motivate yourself with our collection of weight loss quotes, available free to subscribers to the weekly Losing It My Way ezine.

Weight Loss Motivation Guidelines

Introduction

 

If there is one thing that all dietitians and obesity experts agree on, it is that personal motivation is the foundation of all weight loss success. No matter how healthy the diet-plan, or what combination of calories and nutrition it contains, it won't help anyone lose weight unless they follow it for long enough. Their willingness to do so depends entirely on how motivated they are to change their eating and exercise habits in order to achieve their weight loss goals.

 

Motivation Advice Hard To Find

 

The Internet offers a bewildering array of diets and weight loss eating plans, but advice on motivation when dieting is in extremely short supply. Given the strong link between diet-compliance and motivation, this lack of motivational help is surprising to say the least. It may stem from the fact that many diets are created by people who lack hands-on experience of helping people to manage their weight. Perhaps they see weight loss as a biological rather than a human process. If so, I think it's a mistake.

 

Motivating Yourself To Lose Weight

 

I tell all my clients that starting a weight loss diet is like starting a journey. And like any journey it requires preparation. We need to look ahead and plan how to overcome problems that occur along the way. By doing this we take control of the process and greatly increase our chances of success.

 

Unfortunately, many dieters don't plan ahead. Instead, they take things as they come, and rely upon two things: their initial enthusiasm, and (when this wears off) their willpower. But enthusiasm and willpower aren't enough to overcome the temptations and difficulties which we face when we try to change our eating habits and lifestyle.

 

Stop for a moment and imagine taking your family on a camping trip. Do you rely on your enthusiasm and willpower for food and shelter? Of course not. In all probability you spend hours beforehand carefully packing and preparing for every eventuality, and the whole trip is carefully planned out in advance.

 

Yet when you start a diet-journey, many of you set off without any kind of planning or preparation. It's as if you are convinced that everything will go smoothly. But let's face it, what diet ever runs smoothly? Answer: none! So what happens when we encounter a big problem? Answer: we wobble, and often quit.

 

We Need To Plan New Thinking Habits

 

Planning a diet-journey doesn't involve packing equipment, it involves packing "new thoughts". We need to rehearse and adopt new ways of thinking in order to overcome problems during our journey. This isn't psycho-babble - this is plain common sense. After all, successful dieting is largely a matter of motivation and attitude. It's about what goes on between our ears!

 

The Most Common Dieting Problem

 

The most common problem we face when dieting is boredom. This typically occurs when our initial enthusiasm for losing weight wears off, and we become tired of watching what we eat. We become dispirited, and slightly depressed at the idea of having to maintain our "sensible eating habits" while everyone else seems to be having a good time.

 

Losing Direction Leads To Boredom

 

We get bored when we lose our sense of direction. So to overcome it, we need to re-establish exactly where we are going. Remember, dieting is not an aimless process, it's a journey from A to B. Here's how we think when we lose direction:

 

"I'm really bored with dieting, it's such a pain. I don't have any freedom any more. I can't eat this, I can't eat that... I'm fed up. I can't share food with the girls at work, I can't eat at my favorite restaurants, I have to keep saying No to food when I visit friends, I have to watch my family eating in front of me, I don't have time to exercise properly, I'm never going to lose weight and I'm feeling really miserable. Heck! Life is too short for this..."

 

This kind of thinking is totally demotivating. It focuses exclusively on the negative aspects of dieting and signals complete aimlessness. No weight loss goal is achievable when we think like this.

 

A Better Way of Thinking

 

Now let me show you some better alternatives. Please compare them with the above example.

 

Example 1

 

"Hmm, my diet isn't going so good. But I'm not going to make excuses. I've wasted enough time making excuses to myself. From now on, no matter what happens, I'm going to be honest with myself. So what do I want? I want to lose weight and get myself into shape. Why? Because I really want that beach holiday (or other very selfish goal) which I promised myself. I want it so bad I can touch it! Okay, so I need to learn how to eat properly - big deal! I can easily do this if I put my mind to it. Heck! Eating good food isn't difficult. What's difficult is seeing myself being overweight for the rest of my life. I want something better. Something a lot better than a fistful of nachos or a dollop of fatty dessert."

 

Example 2

 

"Hmm, my diet isn't going so good. So let me remind myself why I'm dieting. All my life I've been eating to please other people. My mom said "eat this", so I ate it. My school friends said "have some of this", so I had lots. My work colleagues now say "have a slice of this", so I have two! And my kids say "you must try this", so I try it. And every time I make an effort to lose weight, everyone says "forget about your diet, eat some of this" so I do. Well that's enough! No more eating to please other people. Today I'm going to start eating to please me. And what pleases me is the idea of wearing a size (?) dress to my daughter's wedding (or other very selfish goal). I realise I need to eat properly, but this is a ridiculously tiny price to pay for achieving my goal. Heck! Eating good food isn't difficult. What's difficult is carrying my excess weight around all day. I want something better. Something a lot better than a 4-cheese pizza or a box of cookies."

 

Example 3

 

"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. Never mind, I'm sure this is quite normal. I can't expect to change my regular eating habits without a few hiccups along the way. Besides, I'm looking for more than the few minutes of pleasure I get from filling my stomach with junk. I want a lifetime of pleasure - real pleasure from looking good and being taken seriously and who knows, maybe finding a great partner. I know other people see me as a fat person - goodness, at times I do too! - but this is exactly WHY I want to change. I'm tired of being fat. Real tired. And if this means learning how to eat good food, then let's do it! And when it gets tough I'm going to login to Anne Collins forum and get help. All I know is, I want to make it happen!"

 

Example 4

 

"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. This morning I watched my colleagues eat a whole birthday cake - it looked delicious - and I sat there feeling miserable and deprived. Then I went for lunch with a friend and chose a tuna salad while she ate half a pizza followed by two slices of cheesecake. It was torture! But then I started thinking to myself "what's more important - a few slices of cheesecake, or a really lean shape?" And I decided that looking good was what I really wanted. I know that it's not going to happen overnight, but if I can persevere and learn good eating habits along the way, I know I'm gonna make it..."

 

Example 5

 

"Hmm, my diet isn't going as smoothly as I thought it would. But at least it's not a race. So who cares if I have a few wobbly moments, as long as I get where I want to go. At 26 I'm in the prime of my life, and I want to make the most of it. I'm tired of my slim friends getting all the best guys. I want to turn a few heads myself. I want the attention and I want to be taken seriously, and if I have to spend 12 months dieting - heck! I'm gonna do it. Last week I saw a friend of mine in hospital who lost a leg in a car crash. The doctors say it's going to take her 12 months to relearn how to walk. Now that is tough. By comparison, my journey is easy. And as long as I keep reminding myself of this, I'll be fine."

 

Points To Remember

 

1. A diet is a journey from A to B.

2. Feeling bored is a sign we are losing our direction.

3. When we lose direction we need to regain it, fast!

4. The way to regain direction is to remind yourself why you are dieting.

5. You are dieting because you want something better than a plate of fattening food.

 

Getting Help To Lose Weight

 

Changing our eating habits is much easier when we get support from other people. So make sure your online weight management plan includes membership of a forum. Because only people can offer you the sort of encouragement you need to achieve your personal weight loss goals.